The Florida Python Challenge: At what cost would you catch killer snakes?

Pythons are dangerous. Not because they’re poisonous, but because they can suffocate a human in minutes before swallowing them whole.

USA Today says:

The length of time it takes to watch an episode of Game of Thrones is about all it takes for a reticulated python to kill and swallow a human being.”

But that doesn’t stop some Floridians from competing in what’s called the ‘Florida Python Challenge’ for a cash prize. Prizes range from $1,500 for the longest python to $2,500 for the most pythons caught.

From prey to predator

Florida instated the 10-day python challenge in response to a surge in rabbit and fox deaths in the Everglades, thanks to the cunning constrictor. Presented as a ‘conservation effort’ by the state, its aim is to spread awareness of the environmental detriments that accompany the presence of too many pythons.

Now, willing humans are tasked with hunting the hunter. The 2022 Florida Python Challenge began last Friday, the 5th of August. With no firearms allowed, professional snake assassins ‘humanely kill’ the pythons using a two-step method. First, stun-gun the snake’s brain with a captive bolt stunner. Then, finish the job with a screwdriver.

Although the concept may seem dystopian, over 800 contestants registered to take part in the python purge this year alone.

Making bank or breaking bank?

223 pythons were removed from the Everglades in last year’s event. According to Newsweek, experts estimate that roughly 100,000 inhabit the area. Even though it seems the challenge barely makes a dent in the total python population, contenders like Amy Siewe – one of only 15 women worldwide contracted to hunt pythons – insist that ‘there is no other way’ to address the invasion, despite also loving the creatures.

I’ll leave it to you to decide if catching constrictors is worth the cost.

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